People who eat two or more servings of red meat a day are much more likely to develop conditions leading to heart disease and diabetes, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday. Eating two or more servings of meat a day increases the risk of suffering from a cluster of risk factors known as metabolic syndrome by 25 percent compared to those who had only two servings of meat a week, the researchers reported in the journal Circulation.

The symptoms of metabolic syndrome include excessive fat around the waist, high cholesterol, high blood sugar and high blood pressure.

The study also found that diet soda consumption was linked to these elevated risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, echoing the findings of a study published in July.

"When we found that diet soda promoted risk we were surprised," said Dr. Lyn Steffen, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota.

"But then we thought about other behavior patterns," she added in a telephone interview.
"It may be associated with compensating for eating higher calorie food. People may say, 'I can eat this cookie because I am drinking this diet soda."'

Lots of meat, fried foods and diet soda add up to heart disease, the researchers said, and the conclusions add to a swelling body of evidence linking fast food with unhealthy lifestyles.
Steffen's team examined the diets of 9,514 people in a study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. In a departure from related studies, this one went into a detailed look at precisely what people were eating.

Most were aged 45 to 64.Based on a 66-item food frequency questionnaire, the volunteers were
categorized into two groups: those with a "western-pattern" diet, heavy on processed meat, fried foods, red meat; and a "prudent-pattern" diet with more fruit and vegetables, with small amounts of fish and poultry.

After nine years, nearly 40 percent of those involved developed three or more of the factors linked to metabolic syndrome, they wrote. This was clear even when smoking and exercise were factored in.(Editing by Maggie Fox and Mohammad Zargham)

Note from Martini: The reason diet soda is linked to heart disease is that aspartame causes an irregular heart rhythm and interacts with all cardiac medication. It damages the cardiac conduction system and causes sudden death. Below are the medical reports.

Many patients and correspondents have asked whether products containing aspartame can cause or aggravate symptoms relating to the heart, blood pressure and chest. Based on my experience, as detailed in multiple publications and books (see below), the answer is YES.

Hundreds of such instances have been documented in my database of over 950 aspartame reactors. There was dramatic improvement after avoiding aspartame, and a prompt and predictable recurrence of these problems when the patient resumed aspartame products ... knowingly or inadvertently.

ABNORMAL HEART RHYTHM

More than 120 individuals experienced a detectable change in their heart rate and rhythm after consuming aspartame - including gum and products that did not contain caffeine. This included "fluttering", (palpitations) and rapid heart action (tachycardia). A number had even undergone heart monitoring (Holter testing) and other studies, especially for the associated weakness and faint.

One patient developed a slow pulse and complete heart block within hours after consuming an aspartame drink for the first time. His attack spontaneously subsided within a day without a pacemaker; and there has been no recurrence.

This subject has obvious relevance to reports of unexplained sudden death in persons who had been consuming considerable aspartame.

HYPERTENSION

Dozens of aspartame reactors without known hypertension were found to have elevation of their blood pressure - systolic, diastolic or both, Some were in their twenties. While aspartame products unequivocally cause headaches, the superimposed hypertension probably was a contributing factor.

Other patients who had been treated for hypertension could not be adequately controlled on their maintenance medication as long as they used aspartame. This reflects its interaction with various drugs. Aspartame originally devised as a drug to treat peptic ulcer.

The rapid heart action and the elevation of blood pressure presumably reflect the effects of phenylalanine (an aspartame component) and its metabolic products. They include dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine.

ATYPICAL CHEST PAIN

More than 50 aspartame reactors experienced unexplained pain in the chest. (Many others have atypical pain elsewhere in the body). A number underwent stress tests and coronary angioplasty for suspected coronary heart disease; they proved normal in the majority.

SHORTNESS OF BREATH

Over 70 aspartame reactors with "shortness of breath" promptly improved after abstaining from these products, and predictably suffered a recurrence on rechallenge. Clinical sleep apnea also dramaticallystopped in these patients when they avoided aspartame.

RELATED COMMENTS

These issues are elaborated in my two books on the subject: ASPARTAME (NUTRASWEET):IS IT SAFE? (Charles Press) and SWEET'NER DEAREST: http://www.sunsentpress.com

They are also summarized in an updated discussion on two cassettes, IS ASPARTAME (NUTRASWEET) SAFE? A MEDICAL PUBLIC HEALTH AND LEGAL OVERVIEW
Sunshine Sentinel Press
P. O. Box 17799
West Palm Beach, Florida 33416

I have asserted in my publications, testimony to Congress and in letters to Congressmen and the FDA, that the current wholesale ingestion of aspartame products by over half the adult population constitutes an "imminent public health hazard." Yet this warning continues to be ignored by the medical profession and the FDA. This is particular concern for high risk groups, most notably patients with diabetes and hypoglycemia, pregnant women, children, patients with epilepsy, liver, heart, kidney disease and eating disorders, older persons with memory impairment, the relatives of aspartame reactors, and patients having Phenylketonuria.

H. J. Roberts, M.D. (Dr. Roberts wrote this in 1998 and his data base grew so there are more cases) He has since written the medical text on the world epidemic of Aspartame Disease listed below.

Based on above reports was Heath Ledger's death caused by aspartame? This well known actor was found dead on Tuesday. He was reportedly using Ambien CR and Zoloft, and other drugs and he drank Diet Coke with aspartame. Here again you have to consider aspartame and the drug interaction as responsible for his death. Since sudden death is well documented caused by aspartame this should be taken into consideration during the investigation.